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Art & Crafts
Wallen:
Tarisai Maringire
Wallen Mapondera is one
of the distinguished
new crops of visual
artists to emerge in
Zimbabwe. His art pieces hang in various
art galleries and stand in numerous art
museums worldwide. He has mastered
the visual arts, after completing a three-
Gallery Visual Arts Studios (BAT Visual
Arts Studios) in Harare.
His works have made him a household
name as a contemporary and conceptual
abstract expressionist who uses mixed
media to create works of art. His pieces
stem more from
exploring social norms,
cultural and industrial practices, which
exploit and abuse animals.
Through his paintings, the artist
invites the spectator to imagine himself
living the life of an animal, a dog that
spends the day on a leash, a pig in a dirty
sty, a bull in a slaughterhouse or dogs and
According to an art enthusiast, the
Ambassador of Switzerland Luciano
Lavizzari says, through his art, Wallen
explores, by analogy, human society and
its form of power structure, sociopolitical
norms and social relationships.
“The ruthlessness and thirst for
domination with which human beings
treat and abuse animals decried in his
paintings, mirror the violence and cruelty
which characterizes human society,” he
said.
The Parade reporter Tarisai Maringire
had a chat with Wallen Mapondera on
the sidelines of his solo exhibition Social
Zoometry at the Delta Gallery were he
took the time to speak about his art,
along with a few other subjects.
?
Wallen Mapondera is a full
time visual artist who works and
lives in Chitungwiza.
I was born in
Chitungwiza on the 27th of December
Visual Arts Studios from 2005-2007.I am
Thank heavens it was easy for me to be
approved by my family to do art as a
career. They support me big time.
?My art journey has had its
ups and downs, mostly I cherish the ups
and learn from the downs, they pushed
me kuti ndisanete (kept me going). In
1998 I won in the whole Harare region a
competition organised by Agro chemicals
titled “Why Use Agro Chemicals”,
ndopandakaona kuti I am talented, since
then I haven’t turned back.
I always had a passion for art when
I was young. I would get beaten for
drawing on the wall at home and on all
me to take up art, I knew what I wanted.
?
Publicity is the main challenge. Old folks
in the game do not like to uplift young
artists and galleries like to work with
be established when there is no platform
to develop.
?
I love sleeping and karate (he laughs).
?
I would like to call my type of art,
expressionism.
?
Social Zoometry is there to replace the
roots of cruelty with the seeds of love;
love for animals is the beginning of a
welcoming and loving nation.
I can see you concentrate more on
animals as your subject matter…..
Yes animals are a subject that not most
people talk about in their work that alone
makes me use them as my subject matter.
point when I use animals.
?
From the comments I get many people
who say that my work is powerful, very
conceptual, not knowing what they say
Page 22 The Parade - Zimbabwe’s Most Read Lifestyle Magazine
August 2014